Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Recently I posted
on Delhi Haryana match – on Viru turning out for Haryana – on a feature in
Cricinfo in his Ranji debut – it was on the cards that the scintillating
Virender Sehwag would soon call it a day – yet, when he does – it saddens. The word genius must never be used lightly,
but it can be applied to Virender Sehwag's stroke-making ability.

His dashing ability
were often associated with audacity, and lack of footwork – but if one could
score the way, he did, footwork became meaningless. In a Test at Lahore, he ended up the day
unbeaten on 96 – of which there were 20 boundaries – 15 on the off - upper-cuts
to third man, glides and square-drives through backward point, and crunching
drives through cover. He had a big partnership threatening the best for Indian
openers but was out at 410 having made 254 off 247 balls with 47 fours and 1
six.

image credit : cricinco.

Most of us would
recall many of his brilliant innings – but do you remember that in his debut
match on 1st Apr 1999, a leftie by name ‘ Pandey’ played ? – yes Gyanendrakumar Kedarnath Pandey
played in 2 ODIs and his last was ODI 1427 at Mohali, in which Sehwag
debuted. It was an unusual line up –
Sourav Ganguly opening with Syed Sabha Karim followed by Dravid, Ajay Jadeja
[Captain], Amay Khuraisya, Robin Sehwag, debutant Sehwag at 7, Hrishikesh
Kanitkar, Laxmiratan Shukla, G Pandey and Venkatesh Prasad. Sehwag made 1 !!

His retirement
message reads : To paraphrase Mark
Twain, the report of my retirement yesterday was exaggerated! However I have
always done what I have felt was right and not what conformists thought to be
right. God has been kind and I have done what I wanted to do - on the field and
in my life and I had decided sometime back that I will retire on my 37th
birthday. So, while I spend the day with my family, I hereby announce my
retirement from all forms of international cricket and from the Indian Premier
League.

Cricket has been my
life and continues to be so. Playing for India was a memorable journey and I
tried to make it more memorable for my team-mates and the Indian cricket fans.
I believe I was reasonably successful in doing so. For that, I wish to thank
all my team-mates over the years - some of the greatest players of the game. I
would like to thank all my captains, who believed in me and backed me to the
hilt. I also thank our greatest partner, the Indian cricket fan for all the
love, support and the memories.

Possibly the most
attacking batsman to play for India, Virender Sehwag made 8586 runs in 180
innings with 23 tons; and 8273 runs in 251 ODIs with 15 hundreds. The most
remarkable aspect of Sehwag's career of course has been his ability to build
massive scores at breathtaking speed. Sehwag holds multiple records including
the highest score made by an Indian in Test cricket (319), which was also the
fastest triple century in the history of international cricket (reached 300 off
only 278 balls) as well as the fastest 250 by any batsman (in 207 balls against
Sri Lanka on 3 December 2009 at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai). He also holds
the distinction of being one of four batsmen in the world to have ever
surpassed 300 twice in Test cricket and the only one to score two triple
centuries and take a five-wicket innings haul. In March 2009, Sehwag smashed
the fastest century ever scored by an Indian in ODI cricket, from 60 balls.

He made his Ranji
debut in Feb 1998 at Chepauk. Tamil Nadu
captained by Robin Singh made 473 with Diwakar Vasu making 148. Sehwag scalped the left-handed Woorkeri
Raman. He did not get to bat as match
was halted with Delhi at 183/4 – Ajay Sharma and Mithus Minhas at the crease.

At Colombo on 2nd
Aug 2001 in ODI 1743, NZ made 264 with Nathan Astle making a century. Sehwag’s 3 overs costed 26 runs. He more than compensated with a 69 ball ton
that had 19 fours and a six. New
Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, speaking after India defeated his side to
qualify for the final of the Coca-Cola Cup, paid tribute to Virender Shewag
stating ‘just one guy took it off from us’.

His Test debut was
more to celedbrate. At Bloemfontein in
Nov 2001, against Shaun Pollock, Hayward, Kallis Ntini, Klusener and Boje, Sehwag coming at no. 6 made 105 in
his debut.

As it had happened –
many genius are not treated they way they deserve – Sehwag too had his
downs. He too was affected by Coaches
and others who ruled the game from outside.
In Sept. 2012 Greg Chappell criticised
Virender’s work ethic, calling him one
of the great frustrations of his time as India coach. Sehwag's lackadaisical
attitude threatens to squander his great god-given gift, Chappell wrote in the
Hindu. Fact remains that Sehwag made a
stirring comeback from that low. However,
in Aug 2010 Peter Ingram, the New
Zealand batsman, said learning from
watching Virender Sehwag bat helped transform his career. Ingram is sometimes
criticised for a lack of footwork, said
the reduced foot movement - a hallmark of Sehwag's batting - helped trigger the run of form which has
lifted him to the New Zealand team.

There was not a
single boring moment when Sehwag batted – and just as Krish Srikkanth did, he
disappointed his fans many a times, mainly because expectations were too
high. Indian Cricket will miss him for
sure.